Firstly many thanks for all those with useful replies.. much appreciated..
A few people had a few questions so I will try and answer them...
I live out in the cuds/boonies/sticks in Nakhorn Ratchasima and from start to finish entering the ampour to leaving with book and id about an hour and a half...
The paperwork I used was slightly unorthodox.. for proof of address I used a driving licence and a tm 28 (believe it not I don't care)...but as a disclaimer the ampour is very small and never busy and they don't mind a bit of missing paperwork...
Will it change my life.. no.. has having the id and yellow book saved me a 3000 baht 5 hour round trip to Korat for a certificate of residence to renew my driving licences from this day on ...yes..
Has my wife who works 2 days a week in the Changwat clinic and 3 days a week in the government hospital admin dept managed to get me on the books at the hospital, so if I have a problem I will only be charged the same as someone who has been paying social security... yes..
So it won't change my life but in the day and a half I have had it, it has been bloody useful....